What is your career background?
I started my hotel career in April 1995 as a floor supervisor at the Pearl Continental Hotel, Lahore, Pakistan. During my tenure there, I attended various training workshops and courses on how to organise and deliver training, which has contributed significantly to my performance in roles thereafter. I then joined InterContinental Hotels Group in Riyadh where I worked my way up to become assistant housekeeper in 2008.
I was then offered the position of assistant housekeeper as part of the opening team for Novotel Al Anoud. I accepted the challenge and started my career with AccorHotels. I was soon promoted to the position of housekeeper, and then executive housekeeper. I am also currently working with Suite Novotel Riyadh Dyar.
What are your main responsibilities?
As the executive housekeeper for Novotel Riyadh Al Anoud and Suite Novotel Riyadh Dyar, I manage the housekeeping departments for both properties. I need to make sure that guests are satisfied, financial targets are met and operations run smoothly.
My other responsibilities include HR management for the housekeeping team, liaising with other departments and the general manager, implementing personal and work-related standards, and introducing training programmes if and when required. However, my main responsibility is to deliver clean guest rooms, public areas and back-of-house areas.
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How does your current position differ from those you have held previously at other properties?
The most significant difference is the amount of responsibility I have now compared to my previous jobs. As a part of the executive team, I am independent and expected to make decisions for my department. Now, with the addition of the second hotel, I have extra responsibilities and have to work with the two teams to streamline processes, improve efficiency and maintain a positive working relationship without compromising on quality. I have thoroughly enjoyed this challenge.
In what other ways do you motivate your team members and reward good performance?
I strongly believe that motivation is very important for a team to perform well. Motivation is not a one-time endeavour, but a continuous activity to ensure good results. We work with multicultural teams and use different tools to motivate them; we understand that every person is an individual with distinct intrinsic drivers.
We have a number of programmes like ‘heart of the month’, ‘outstanding achiever of the month’, and a monthly performance incentive, which we use to motivate staff.
What new initiatives have you introduced at the hotel since you joined?
I have been a part of the hotel’s opening team and of many positive changes implemented. Since assuming the role of executive housekeeper, I have built on the team with periodic training to keep them motivated. I was among the members of the executive team that introduced the ‘total quality management’ dashboard to increase guest satisfaction. This resulted in an increase in guest satisfaction of 4.6% in 2013, and of 2.6% in 2014.
This is in addition to a mystery audit score of 94% in 2014 — one of the highest for the brand in the region. We, as a team, have earned and maintained certification with e-Cristal hygiene systems, and we won the Check Safety First award for the entire KSA region in 2013. In addition to this, the hotel has ISO 14001 certification now, and my team played a significant role in this achievement.
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